''Wave Twisters'' is a 2001 American animated film directed by Eric Henry and Syd Garon and based on
DJ Q-Bert's album of the same name. It is known as the first
turntablism-based musical. It is a mix of live-action, computer graphics, and cel animation.
Plot
A crew of heroes is determined to save the lost arts of
hip hop:
break dancing,
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
,
MCing, and
DJing from total extinction. The lost arts are being oppressed throughout inner-space by lord Ook and his evil minions the Chinheads. DJ and dentist The Dental Commander, graffiti artist Honey Drips, robotic MC Rubbish, and breakdancer Grandpa have a series of adventures, synchronized to the music. Armed with the ancient relic known as the Wave Twister (a small turntable/wristwatch, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat the enemies), they travel to the far ends of inner-space for a final confrontation with the sinister army of oppressors. The film ends with the team teaching the liberated the lost fundamentals of hip hop.
Cast
*
DJ Q-Bert as Darth Fader
* Yogafrog as Turbo Frog
* D-Styles as Wax Fondler
*
Flare as Butchwax
*
Buckethead as himself
Production
The film is entirely scripted to match the
DJ Q-Bert recording. It was produced digitally using
Adobe After Effects and a relatively small team of animators, who used
Apple PowerMac G3 computers.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
and old cartoons. Other influences include ''Shaft
Shaft may refer to:
Rotating machine elements
* Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power
* Line shaft, a power transmission system
* Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque
* Axle, a shaft around whi ...
'', ''Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'', '' Bullitt'', and ''Lost in Space
''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...
''.[
]
Release
The film has had several different premieres, each of which debuted a new cut of the film.[ After the showing at ]Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
, DJ Q-Bert self-distributed the film and released it on home video without any copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy prevention and copy restriction, describes measures to enforce copyright by preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media.
Copy protection is most commonly found o ...
.[
]
Reception
'' Vibe'' called it "a Saturday-morning cartoon gone street".[ Dennis Harvey of '' Variety'' wrote, "A dazzling sensory-overload goof, animated featurette ''Wave Twisters'' pays parodic homage to sci-fi actioners in terms as densely layered as its visual and sonic textures."][
]
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0291559
2001 films
2000s musical films
American musical films
2000s hip hop films
American animated featurettes
2001 animated films
2000s American animated films
2000s English-language films